''Cervula'' or ''Cervulus'' was a

Roman festival Festivals in ancient Rome were a very important part of Roman religious life during both the Republican and Imperial eras, and one of the primary features of the Roman calendar. ''Feriae'' ("holidays" in the sense of "holy days"; singular ...

celebrated on the

kalends The calends or kalends () is the first day of every month in the Roman calendar. The English word "calendar" is derived from this word. Use The Romans called the first day of every month the ''calends'', signifying the start of a new lunar pha ...

of January (1 January). According to Chambers (1864), remnants seem to have been incorporated into a medieval Christian

Feast of the Ass The Feast of the Ass (; ) is a medieval Christian feast observed on 14 January, celebrating the flight into Egypt. It was originally celebrated primarily in France, as a by-product of the Feast of Fools celebrating the donkey-related stories in ...

, (''Festum Asinorum''), which honors the role of

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

s in the

Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writt ...

, including the

Flight into Egypt The flight into Egypt is a story recounted in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:13–Matthew 2:23, 23) and in New Testament apocrypha. Soon after the Biblical Magi, visit by the Magi, an angel appeared to Saint Joseph, Joseph in a dream telling ...

."It took place on the kalends of January and was a kind of New Year's festival, at which people exchange ''strenae'' (étrennes, 'gifts') dressed up as animals or old women, and danced through the streets singing, the applause of the populace. According to DuCange (s.v
cervulus
, sacrilegious songs were sung. This happened even in the vicinity of St. Peter's in Rome".

References

{{reflist Ancient Roman festivals January observances New Year celebrations